


The First Five Allies of Neal George Caffery

by Silveraro



Category: White Collar
Genre: Gen, More tags to be added, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Trans Neal, Trans Neal Caffery, Transgender, Warnings May Change, Witness Protection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:46:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26854678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silveraro/pseuds/Silveraro
Summary: Neal Caffery, a man by many names.He'd gone through 5 by the time he was 18
Relationships: Neal Caffery & Neal Caffery's Mum, Neal Caffrey & Ellen Parker
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	The First Five Allies of Neal George Caffery

**Author's Note:**

> This definitely isn't being written because Neal is my transition goals  
> Nope  
> Definitely not

**The First- The Parents**

* * *

“What should we call her,” asked Elizabeth Caffery-Bennett, holding her new baby, looking at her bright blue eyes. 

“Nelle, after my mum.” Firm, she wasn’t to argue, came James Bennett,

“Welcome to the world, **Nelle Elizabeth Bennett** ,”

* * *

**The Second- WITSEC**

* * *

Elizabeth was in hysterics. Except she wasn’t Elizabeth anymore, was she. She was whatever name they decided she was, same as her baby, only two. Nelle kept asking where daddy was, why wasn’t he there, when could they go home. Could she bring herself to tell her daddy couldn’t come because he had done something that needed more punishment than the naughty step or a spanking? They couldn’t go home because her hero was a murderer? She couldn’t tell her. Elizabeth knew what she’d do- lie. The people at WITSEC were taking her name, her home, her friends. They couldn’t take her innocence too. 

“Miss Caffery, office no 5,”

In an instant, Mary Jane and **Danielle Louise Brooks** were created. New names, randomized, spat out by someone behind a desk with no thought. All because of James. The dick. 

And, just like before, she didn’t get to name her child.

* * *

“Mum, what were you going to call me if I was born a boy?”

“I always knew I was having a girl” she spat out through a swig of beer.

“So I was always going to be called Danielle?”She sounded disappointed. A grunt and the end of the ad break were the only response. 

Dannie Brooks always felt like she wasn’t quite right. Something about her name or her clothes or something. She changed her clothes, though it was minimal due to what she could liberate from the local goodwill, the way she spelt her name (Danielle to Dani to Danni to Dannie). Words were hard but actions were easy- the kitchen scissors found their way through her waist-length waves as they sat dead on the dirty tile floor or when the ace bandages wrapped themselves around her developing chest. Almost instinct, always regretted later (either by the disapproval of her mum of the hospital visit) but actions she was happy she’d taken. Actions that helped with the problems she couldn’t name.

* * *

She’d changed the spelling again. Danny felt better in a way she couldn’t describe, no matter what mum said about it being the boy spelling. Danny wore flannel shirts and baggy hoodies that hid everything that was happening. Baggy jeans from the men’s section of goodwill (“for the pockets, mum”) and her hair was as short as the kitchen scissors allowed. People called her a dyke or a lesbian, she didn’t let them see how she hated it. She liked woman but lesbian felt… off. Like she was trying to jam the puzzle pieces from the puzzles she did with Ellen every Friday night. She’d never told anyone this but she wished Ellen was her mum rather than Mary. Mary didn’t notice what she did unless it was to complain and she was practically melded to the living room armchair. Ellen understood, listened to her problems, understood. She’d practically raised Danny after all. Which is why she was such a big help when Danny turned up at Ellen's flat at 10:30 with a bag flung over her shoulders asking to be let in, Ellen was only too happy to oblige. She flung her school rucksack on the sofa, sitting down herself and flinging her legs over the armrest. 

“What’s troubling you, dearie?”

“I don’t think I’m a girl, Ellen,” 

* * *

**The Third and Fourth: For the Comfort and Familiar, For the Honour**

* * *

It was Daniel for a few days, only a few, while he clung to the idea of not being a freak, a name similar to hers before he realised that if fit almost as bad as Danielle. **Daniel James Brooks** . Then **James Brooks**. It was his dad’s name. 

Dad was a hero, a cop, had gone up in a blaze of glory. Could he live up to his legacy? He didn’t know, but he could try. 

But dad wouldn’t like him stealing from the clothes shop. Dad probably wouldn’t like watching his daughter become his son. Dad would be disappointed in him; if he was still alive at all. James regretted being glad that his dad was dead for what he thought would be the rest of his life. In actuality, it was only 3 years. 

On his 18th birthday, Ellen gave him both the best and worst present he’d received- the truth about who he was. He’d already matched his father's soiled legacy, surpassed it even. He knew he’d never be able to murder, never be so corrupt. 

He knew that he couldn’t join the force anymore. It was always going to be an issue but he could pretend to be Danielle before if it would make dad proud of him. He didn’t care anymore. 

Ellen told him one more thing before he left town with the clothes on his back and the money in his wallet. His name had been, and was still legally, Nelle Elizabeth Bennett, daughter of Elizabeth Caffery-Bennett and James Bennett. From that list of names that should mean something to him, he crossed out all mention of James- the bastard got no legacy. The last name of his mother, 3 letters from his birth name and one from his middle. The name of his grandfather. 

* * *

**The Fifth: Permanency and Legal**

* * *

Neal George Caffery. 

The first time Neal saw his name was on a fake ID. He’d got it made as soon as he’d made it to NYC. There was a nice M next to it too, and it all looked great. Except for his image. 

His testosterone was acquired illegally, and slowly Neal watched his face change to how he saw himself, till the picture on his new fake ID matched the little M. 

The first time he saw his birth name written down was when he was after he’d finished swapping out his birth certificate. He’d broken into the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics to swap both the physical and digital copy. Nelle Elizabeth Bennett, born March 21, 1977, weighing 7lbs, the traitorous F, was removed from all records. Neal George Caffery, the son of Elizabeth Joanne Caffery and an unknown father, was in her place. 

The next time he was an ID with his name on it, it was real. Real and legal. And even though he didn’t like doing things the legal way, having this be legal was nice. 

He still needed to make rent though. As Neal. Not Danielle. Not Nelle. As Neal Caffery. 


End file.
